‘We don’t feel safe’: Shepherd’s Bush residents urge council to clean up ‘forgotten’ road
By Ben Lynch, Local Democracy Reporter
Shepherd’s Bush residents are calling for further council investment to clean up part of a ‘neglected’ road where they claim disrepair and crime has taken hold.
A petition to fix up Uxbridge Road has drawn almost 2,200 signatures, far beyond the 250 needed for it to be debated by Hammersmith and Fulham council’s Cabinet.
Nigel Singh, 65, one of the residents said: “This is a bigger issue that we need tackling so that we can live in a decent, peaceful area and feel safe. We don’t feel safe in this area now. It’s gone downhill over the years, and it’s been neglected by the council.”
Hammersmith and Fulham council pointed to a wide range of work it is undertaking to improve Uxbridge Road. This includes regular patrols by its Law Enforcement Team (LET), equating to an average of 2,400 a year, removing 96 graffiti tags and 68 flyposters since April 1, and making improvements to shopfronts, such as paying for two businesses to have artwork painted onto their shutters.
The residents backing the petition claim part of Uxbridge Road, a key highway running from Shepherd’s Bush towards Uxbridge in Hillingdon, has fallen into decline due to a combination of limited investment and enforcement.
Noor, who lives in Shepherd’s Bush and started the petition though did not want to give her full name published, said she was taken aback by issues after moving into her home two years ago.
She said: “I became quite shocked quite quickly at the level of drug addicts that were openly on the street. They’d be swinging in office chairs outside of news agents and no-one stopping them. People coming up to me in quite an intimidating manner.
“Just the level of loitering and the level of dereliction…it just felt like it was a forgotten street that no-one wanted to do anything to.”
The petition, which can be found on the council’s website, asks the council to develop a three, six and 12-month plan for improvements to the road, and to implement actions including launching a ‘visual uplift scheme’ for shops and flats and ban the use of temporary signage.
On the petition, Noor said: “The voices are really clear and really loud that change needs to happen. Not just from an antisocial behaviour and a drug addict point of view. But the area needs to be more habitable for people, for women, for single people to be able to walk through at any time of day and to have a vibrant city variety in their shopping and lived experience here.”
A council spokeswoman said the authority is taking ‘real action’ to clean up Uxbridge road.
She said: “We’re removing defunct phone boxes. We’re paying for businesses to have their shutters painted by artists in the area. We’re implementing deep cleaning of the entire road. We’re going to revamp our waste collections so there are fewer rubbish and recycling bags on pavements. And we’ll work with shopkeepers to make the area a Business Improvement District to enhance the environment and local services.”
The council has the largest Community Safety team in the capital and said it was giving the Met police “unprecedented” support to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour alongside an extra £4.5million being invested into a new CCTV network.
The spokeswoman said: “There’s still more we can all do. We need help from residents and businesses. We need more people to report crime to the Met. By arming police with more intelligence, we will enable them to better deter, prevent and fight crime.
“We are determined to work with local residents and businesses to make Uxbridge Road an even better place to live, work and socialise.”
Pictured top: Nigel Singh Uxbridge Road in West London (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)
